Vehicles: The Ultimate Kids Guide to Ride!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles:

Give Your Kids a Ride They Won’t Forget!

I don’t know about your kids, but mine LOVED any kind of big vehicles when they were little. We would have to stop during walks to watch road construction. They would sit in the wagon eating snacks watching “the show.” We found a few great places where they could get close up and even hands on with some big machinery and some not so big ones!

We have come up with a list of places and different ways you can experience all kinds of vehicles: planes, trains, automobiles, and even boats!

Planes:

Airforce HeritageMuseum – Hidden at the end of Air Force Way/Sharp Blvd in St. James, this is the perfect picnic spot on a summer day. The Park has many different types of aircraft on display that your kids can walk right up to and even under! An added bonus is the little playground across the street. When you are driving there, it looks like you are going into the Air Base, the park is on the right side.

Silver Avenue Playground – At the end of Sackville Street on Silver Avenue you will find a newly renovated playgound, a paper airplane flys over the entrance welcoming you to play. You will find lots to climb on, swings and a zipline, but the highlight of your visit may just be the location to one of the flight paths at nearby James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. If you are lucky, and the wind is blowing the right way, you can see planes taking off or landing right over the park.

Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada – Located at 958 Ferry Road, this muesum takes you back to the beginning of aviation in Canada. There are some airplanes you can board and pretend you are a passenger. Some times, you can even be the pilot!

Assiniboine Park Zoo – There is a helicopter in the zoo! You will pass it on the way to The Tundra Grill. Kids of all ages can climb inside and “get to the chopper!” Don’t forget about the Polar Playground, a fantastic playstructure in the restaurant. You can read a little more about the Assiniboine Park Zoo in my story “Our Journey to Churchill.”

Manitoba Air Show – The Manitoba Airshow takes place in July at Southport Airport, located 3 km south of Portage la Prairie and approximately 70 km west of Winnipeg.

Trains:

Assiniboine Valley Railway – The Assiniboine Valley Railway features 1/8 scale trains transporting up to 45 people at a time through the 7 acres of forest. Usually hold public rides the 2nd full weekend of each month, from June through October.

Assiniboine Park Steam Train– This family owned miniature steam train has been running through the Park since July 29, 1964. It is located west of the main Pavilion in the Park (west on Pavilion Crescent) just across from the Nature Playground parking lot.

Tinkertown – “Come to the town where the train goes around!” Located on Highway 1 and Murdoch Road, the Tinkertown 1950’s vintage train winds down a quarter mile of track, through the mini golf course, in the tunnel and a past forest before returning to the station.

Prairie Dog Central – The Prairie Dog Central is a short line railway owned and operated by The Vintage Locomotive Society Inc. and it is one of the oldest, regularly scheduled operating locomotives in North America.

Winnipeg Train Museum– Climb the stairs of Winnipeg’s historic Union Station and discover over 100 years the rail history of the city and the railways who made it Great! Located on tracks 1 & 2 in Via Rail’s Station you will find over 37,500 square feet of railway equipment, displays, history and artifacts.

Manitoba Mega Train Show– Usually takes place at the end of September, the Manitoba Mega Train Show is everything a train lover could want, scale displays, Lego model sets and even a train to ride around the show!

Trucks, Cars and Vehicles:

Touch-a-Truck shows – there are a few around Manitoba, check the calendar below to see if there are any coming up soon.

Cartown – Designed to teach children 4–7 years old about driving safety in an entertaining, realistic town setting. Each session includes games, songs, pedestrian safety and road safety instruction. A driver’s license is issued at the end of each session.

Marine Museum of Manitoba – Visitors get to board the actual ships that navigated the waters of the world’s tenth largest lake and will learn about how the Port of Selkirk played a vital role in the development of Manitoba.

Gimli Pier and Seawall– Take a drive to the harbor town of Gimliand spend the day exploring the town and the pier. The Seawall has been turned into an art gallery you can enjoy while watching the boats sail in and out of the harbor.

Tinkertown– The boat ride at Tinkertown is fun for smaller kids and a great photo op!

Keep an eye on our calendar for some upcoming events that feature vehicles of all kinds!